It's Not About Who You Were
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: <html><head></head>Hi, is it possible that you could make an FF with Emma and her and Regina's kid(s) accidentally travelling back in time and meet Regina as the Evil Queen...Thanks :D – jhada</html>


_Hi, is it possible that you could make an FF with Emma and her and Regina's kid(s) accidentally travelling back in time and meet Regina as the Evil Queen...Thanks :D – jhada_

_Thanks for the prompt. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you all enjoy :) _

"I don't like it," Lucy says cowering behind Emma as Disney's version of the Evil Queen appears on screen. Emma chuckles at the irony. They never normally watch this particular Disney movie because Regina hates it, so does Snow but it's Lucy's turn to choose the movie for family film night.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Emma asks swinging her five year old round for a hug.

"I don't like the Evil Queen. She scary."

Emma frowns as she sees the look in Regina's eyes. She can see fear and tears brimming in those eyes at the terror of their daughter fearing her – or who she was anyway. "It's not you," Emma mouths to her reaching for her hand knowing that Regina's worst fear is losing her family because of who she was.

"That's who Mom was," Henry says without thinking. It's only after as he slaps his hand over his mouth seeing the way his Mom's face morphs into one of pain and hurt. "Mom I didn't mean –" he begins only to get cut off by Lucy scooting away by Regina and clinging to Emma as she asks, "Mommy was evil?!"

Regina shakes her head as Lucy looks at her wide-eyed with terror. She doesn't want her children to fear her. She doesn't want to lose them over the Evil Queen. Her past was awful and she's done a lot of terrible things which weigh heavily on her heart but she has worked so hard to stay good for herself and for her family. She knows in her heart that what's important is who she is now but the combination of Henry's words and Lucy's fearful expression has her mind filling with doubts.

She gets up quickly hurrying out of the room. Emma winces as she hears their bedroom door shut before turning to Henry, "Kid."

"I know," he says with a frown, "I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry Ma."

"Is Mommy evil?" Lucy asks still confused and more than a little scared.

"No," Emma says insistently, "She's not. She's not that person." She wants Lucy to understand that Regina is more than her past. Regina was the Evil Queen but she is not that person anymore. She wishes she knew how to make Lucy see that it's not who Regina was that matters, but who she is now.

"Ma what are you doing?!" Henry cries out. Emma opens her eyes to see white magic consuming them. She frowns and Lucy yelps as the magic causes them to vanish from the couch completely.

* * *

><p>"Where are we?" Henry asks as the smoke clears. He and Lucy hold tight to Emma through fear. Lucy clings to her Mama and brother having no idea what is happening, "Mama?" she asks fearfully.<p>

"It's okay Luce," Emma says, "Kid I know where we are."

"You do?" Henry asks hoping it will be somewhere safe and easy to return home from. If only they were that lucky.

"The Enchanted Forest," Emma replies looking around at a forest she never wanted to see again. She wonders why her magic brought her here and how the hell they're supposed to get back home to Regina who must be worried sick. _She'll think we left_ Emma thinks with a sad frown and it's that thought gives her the determination she needs to head back home. As Lucy burrows into her and even Henry, now seventeen tries to stay close she knows they need to get back fast. She doesn't know at what time they've returned but whatever it is she needs to keep her kids safe.

It's who she is. She's a saviour and a hero but most of all she's a mother and a wife and for Emma, it's her duty to protect the ones she loves.

"Well what do we have here?"

Chills run down Emma's spine at that voice. It's darker than the one she knows, colder, harsher, full of a pretence Emma hasn't seen in years. She turns round to be confronted with a woman she knows only from a storybook and a previous glimpse she wished never to see again. Seeing her now is a haunting reminder of who Regina used to be – but most of all for Emma it shows her how far her wife has come in the last few years.

This woman looming over them, she is not Regina.

That's what she wants her kids to understand.

Emma stands up holding Lucy tightly and standing to shield Henry, "My apologies Your Majesty, my family and I are lost. We must have stumbled onto the wrong path." Emma keeps her voice as steady and polite as possible thought inside she's terrified. What if she says the wrong thing? What if she alters time or winds up getting them all killed?

She knows that this Regina before her is capable of anything. Her actions are guided by loneliness, misery and a hole in her heart that was being consumed with vengeance. The Evil Queen has done a lot of things that Regina regrets now.

Emma knows those regrets. She's heard them whispered in the night from heart to hearts. She's heard them in the form of the nightmares and guilt that she knows will plague her wife until the end of her days. Regina may not be the Evil Queen anymore but it doesn't mean that she will ever escape the shadow of her past – it lingers on but now it reminds Regina of who she wants to be.

Emma stands tall hoping beyond hope the queen will let them pass.

She doesn't.

Instead the queen, dressed in black leather pants and an ornate black and purple cape, struts forward. As she steps closer Emma can see the dark, dramatic make up adorning Regina's face. It makes her shudder just looking at it. It's a mask, a carefully crafted one but it's still terrifying.

"What a foolish mistake to make," the queen purrs leaning in close to Emma's face. It's an invasion of personal space that Emma remembers from when she first came to Storybrooke. This time round it's a lot more menacing.

"I apologise," Emma says, "Perhaps if your Majesty would allow you could let us pass to the main road."

The queen laughs high and shrill, "I could yes but I won't. See the bandit Snow White has been seen in these woods and I wonder if you've seen her."

"We haven't," Henry chimes in and Regina's gaze shifts to him, "And who's this?"

"O-my son," Emma corrects herself standing in front of Henry.

"Then you should teach him some manners. One shouldn't be so blunt to a queen."

Henry frowns realising just how far from his mother this woman is. Until now he has never truly met the Evil Queen. He never wants to again. He just wants his Mom back.

"He didn't mean to offend you," Emma replies, "and we haven't seen Snow White anywhere."

"Snow?" Lucy asks choosing the exact wrong moment to pipe up. Regina's eyebrow cocks up, "Oh what have we here? Forcing such a young, sweet child to traipse around the woods dear?"

"We're only planning a short trip," Emma says holding Lucy close. Upon seeing the queen her five year old tucks herself back against Emma's shoulder knowing that whilst this woman looks like her Mommy, it is absolutely not her Mommy.

Regina eyes her suspiciously and Emma frowns. She quickly reaches for Henry's hand and prays that her magic will work and take them away. There's a puff of white smoke but that's it. Nothing happens except for the queen laughing maliciously.

"Oh dear," Regina purrs, "how foolish to try and run from me. For your insolence you can spend the night in the dungeon."

With that Regina flicks her wrist and the trio whirl away in a plume of violet smoke before reappearing in a dark, dingy cell.

* * *

><p>"Ma please take us home," Henry pleads as he stares at the bars that seal them in this cell.<p>

Emma swallows the lump in her throat as Lucy hugs her close, "I don't know how kid. I don't know how we got here."

"Well your magic is triggered by emotion right?" he asks and Emma nods, "So what were you thinking about?"

Emma thinks back and gasps in realisation. She wanted her kids to understand that Regina is not just her past and that it's not who she was that matters. She wanted them to see what she sees, how far Regina has come from who she was and that what matters most is the person she is now. She wants them to accept her for her.

So her magic brought them to a place that confronts them with the darkest side of Regina.

"Henry I know what happened," she says, "But it's not down to me. It's up to you and Lucy."

"What about us?" Henry asks.

"It's about you two understanding something really important and my magic just took a really drastic turn to do it," Emma explains.

"Well what do you want us to understand?"

"Who was that woman we just met?" Emma asks.

"The Evil Queen," Henry replies without hesitation.

Lucy looks up with a serious frown, "Not Mommy. I think Henwy was wrong. That lady isn't Mommy."

Emma smiles before looking down at Lucy, "Well it was."

She frowns in confusion, "That's not Mommy. She looks like Mommy but she's not Mommy."

"Well Lucy-Boo, we're in Mommy's past so that queen is who Mommy was."

Lucy nods, "Okay but I don't want Mommy to be bad!"

"She's not," Henry says, "She's not anymore Luce. She used to be but she's not evil anymore. She hasn't been in ages."

"So who is she?" Lucy asks.

Henry smiles, "She's Mom."

"She's Regina," Emma says with a smile thinking of her wife.

Lucy grins, "She's Mommy and she's the bestest storyteller ever."

"Exactly," Emma replies, "So what matters Lucy – who Mommy was or who she is now?"

"She is her past though," Henry says.

"I know kid," Emma says, "But it's not all she is. She's a lot more and you know it."

"I do," Henry replies, "I know she was evil but now she's my Mom and that's what matters most to me."

Emma smiles before looking at Lucy, "It matters that she's Mommy and that she loves us."

Upon hearing Lucy's words, Emma smiles in relief and white magic surrounds them once more. This time it works and transports them back home. Emma opens her eyes and grins seeing where they are.

"We're home," she announces.

"Yay!" Lucy yells, "I like it better here Mama. I like our version of Mommy."

"Me too," Emma says, "Come on let's go find her."

* * *

><p>Emma, Henry and Lucy run upstairs and into the master bedroom to find Regina curled up crying on the bed. They share a look before jumping onto the bed and hugging her. Regina shrieks from shock before turning to see Emma hugging her from behind, resting her head on Regina's shoulder. Lila hugs her tightly wrapping her arms around her neck as Henry does the same sandwiching them all in a four-way bear hug.<p>

"I love you Mommy," Lucy says kissing her Mommy on the cheek, "You're not an Evil Queen."

Regina smiles at those words, "You believe that Lucy-Boo?"

"I do," Lucy says, "We met the Evil Queen."

Regina's smile turns to a pale look of horror, "What?"

Emma rubs Regina's arm as a show of reassurance, "My magic acted up and it sent us three back to the past. We bumped into you."

"Oh my god," Regina mutters quietly. She never wanted her children to see that side of her, "Emma," she whispers, "They're going to be terrified of me."

"No they're not," Emma says, "Lucy, that lady we met who was she?"

"Mommy's past," Lucy replies, "Part of her but not who she is now?" she asks and Emma nods. She grins at the nod.

Henry smiles at her, "We know who you were Mom and we love you for you but to us it's not about who you were, it's all about who you are now and we love the you we know now."

Regina smiles widely, "You do?"

Emma grins kissing her sweetly, "How could we not?"

_Thanks for reading :) _


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